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Prep Football 2016: Venice dominates South Fort Myers in 7A first round

VENICE — During this week’s preparation for Friday night’s 7A high school football regional quarterfinal matchup against Venice, South Fort Myers interim head coach Matt Holderfield knew that the key to his Wolfpack squad staying in the game was to l

VENICE — During this week’s preparation for Friday night’s 7A high school football regional quarterfinal matchup against Venice, South Fort Myers interim head coach Matt Holderfield knew that the key to his Wolfpack squad staying in the game was to limit the big plays by the Indians offense.

And by keeping the big plays at bay, that meant grounding junior running back Matt “Speedy” LaRoche, who came into Friday night’s game with 2,075 yards and 28 touchdowns.

With LaRoche off the field after scoring two touchdowns -- his 29th and 30th of the season -- Indians quarterback Bryce Carpenter took over, tossing five total scores, en route to a 56-0 victory.

Of Carpenter’s five touchdowns, only one was less than 10 yards -- a 5-yard strike to Aaron Hackett -- which came after a muffed punt by the Wolfpack.

What was even more impressive than Carpenter’s five total touchdown passes was the diving catch made by Jaivon Heiligh in the corner of the end zone, which gave the Indians a 21-0 lead.

“(Jaivon and I) practice that during the week where if the safety was biting, the coaches would leave it up to us,” Carpenter said. “I gave him a little look and knew exactly what he was going to do. He made an unbelievable catch.”

The muffed punt was a microcosm of the self-imposed struggles faced by South Fort Myers.

From the opening kickoff, it looked as though South Fort Myers left it all on the bus. Penalties, three interceptions, two fumbles. The Wolfpack ran the gambit of unforced errors that helped Venice and killed any chance of building momentum.

"We just didn’t show up tonight, at all,” Holderfield said. “This is not the way we wanted to end.”

The lone bright spot came from senior running back E’Quan Dorris, who finished with 71 yards on 11 carries.

“I’m proud of the kids for sticking it out this season when they could’ve just quit,” Holderfield said. “It’s been an emotional year and they are just drained. And tonight, I think it showed.”

For the Wolfpack, it was a season of overcoming adversity after head coach Anthony Dixon was removed just before the season after a sex scandal at the school that involved members of the team. The players faced that before they even put on a set of pads.

“If you would have told anyone at the beginning of the season that we would be 9-2, they would be shocked,” Holderfield said. “It was almost like we weren’t 9-2 with all the things that have happened. These seniors have a lot to be proud of.”

For Venice, it’s another date with district rival Braden River, which bounced the Indians from the playoffs, one year ago. The Pirates beat Gulf Coast, 37-14, in the opposite regional quarterfinal.

“We are definitely going to be ready,” Venice coach John Peacock said. “We are going to prepare and get ready to play hard and hopefully play a little better than we did the first time (42-35 win).”